


Let Me Change Your Mind

by chibichibigirl



Category: Code Geass
Genre: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-20
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-17 03:20:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29586441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chibichibigirl/pseuds/chibichibigirl
Summary: The truce called between Kallen and Suzaku at school after their encounter on the island will last a little longer this time around. What will have the chance to occur between these two? Most importantly will either be able to surrender their ideals in the face of something greater than either of them? KallenXSuzaku. Chapter fic. Cross posted to fanfiction.
Relationships: Kouzuki Kallen/Kururugi Suzaku
Comments: 1
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

Steps light, breath held, gaze steady. Kallen stood to Suzakus turned back, hand clutching the leather of her knife-purse. The noises of his swift cuts and the running sink echoed in the cold atmosphere of this pseudo kitchen. She stared hard at his unprotected back. ' _This man is my enemy, an obstacle to the black knights and Zero. I have an easy chance to take care of him. I can't pass up this chance. I have to-'_

" _I just want you to ask yourself, when you gain results the wrong way what are you left with in the end?"_

She grimaced and took an involuntary step back at the echo of his words. ' _Dammit, not now.'_

"That's a relief, I thought you'd never come back to school." He called calmly, still cutting casually with his back turned.

' _Bastard probably knew I was here from the beginning.'_ She thought irritably, retracting her knife back into its hidden pouch. But still, his comment, that means-

"So, it was on purpose? Why didn't you tell anyone? About who I really am?" As soon as she had learned no one from Britannia or school knew of her secret identity she'd been burning to ask him why, why would he keep the secret of a terrorist; his enemy?

He rinsed his hands in the running water, shutting off the sink. He spoke to her with his back turned still, so unconcerned with being vulnerable to his enemy. It pissed her off.

"You're Kallen Stadtfeld right now aren't you? Not Kallen Kozuki?" He said finally turning to look at her. That gentle expression still softening his features.

This guy was unbelievable! "Hm? Are you trying to draw me in by acting friendly?"

"On the battlefield I won't show you any mercy, but I wanna try to persuade you here." He held her gaze, hope and a sense of determination making his green eyes shine. "I know this is against the rules, but while we're at school, I'd rather try to change your mind here then defeat you in combat later."

Her pride swelled at the way he made it seem like her defeat was inevitable, but still…despite her revile for the Britannian system itself she truly did care for the people here. Even started to enjoy the quiet moments she got here, with the sense of calm and no worrying about life and death situations. It did mean something to her that he was giving her a chance to keep that. And he was going against all the rules by letting his enemy stay hidden right under his superior's noses. She didn't think the 'White knight' had it in him. Speaking of which…

"Ah, something's different about you." Looking at his self-assured demeanor and unyielding optimism she could see something had made him feel braver, bolder than he was before. Before she could ask more the 'wooshing' of the door opening behind her interrupted them.

"Suzaku the truck's here, the cheese-" She turned to see Lelouch regarding her with a surprised look. It was true she did have to spread the rumor she was very sick to alleviate suspicions of her prolonged absence. "You came back."

She put on her most docile smile, changing her voice to the soft and slow cadence her fellow students were used to. "Uh yeah, I'm not as sick now so."

Before she had to say anything else Suzaku stepped forward, a smile curving the side of his lips. He was clearly amused by how fast she could change her whole countenance. "Kallen, what we were talking about has nothing to do with school, okay?"

' _Yeah I get it mister pushy.'_ "Yeah I get it." Oops, a little too much of her normal attitude, but oh well.

Lelouch looked between them and whatever weird expression he had turned to a polite smile. She should have known. "Kallen if you don't mind could you go check in with your class? They seem to be a little shorthanded."

"Sure, I don't mind."

* * *

"I DO MIND!" Kallen shrieked jumping up to scare the crap out of some idiotic students. ' _Ugh, this actually scares them?'_ She rolled her eyes as she slid back down into her hiding place in the fricken oven of hell. ' _Who thought giving this job to the perpetually sick and quiet girl was a good idea anyway?! They're lucky I'm really pissed off right now or I'd just pretend to faint. Let them feel the weight of_ _ **that**_ _on their conscious."_

Besides that, she was also plotting the multiple ways she could bring Lelouch to a bloody and painful death. "I'm gonna get Lelouch for this! He should have told me that I had to be part of the "Horror House." Hm, the only one I let order me around is Zero."

As she impatiently waited for the next pair of idiots to come along she thought more of her talk with Suzaku. Did he really think he could sway her that easily? Even after their talk on the island? She'd made it pretty damn clear where her allegiance lied, and while he tried to make her see the 'error of her ways' with his righteous talk she wasn't buying it. Revolutions were messy, innocent people died, good people had to do bad things. That was just the reality.

" _Kallen, the truth is, I killed my father."_

The anger dissipated for just a second as she thought about what he told her. Was it true? What reason did he have to lie to her, or tell her in the first place? Remembering that empty look in his eyes, the emotionless way which he spoke about such a horrible thing. She knew it to be true. ' _For him to have done something like that, and to carry it around all this time. Suzaku, is that why you've chosen this path? Ah what am I_ _ **doing**_ _?!'_ She shook herself from her thoughts about the honorary Britannian. It was no use trying to understand him, no matter what the reason she couldn't forgive someone who fought to keep their suppressors in power while their own people suffered.

Maybe being forced to scare the hell out of people isn't so bad, it's an outlet for all her swirling emotions since she can't pilot her Guren right now. The dots displayed on the screen indicated two more people coming her way. Good, maybe she could finally get her mind off these depressing topics. She reared up screaming "MOVE YOUR ASS!" To what she was hoping was some annoying privileged Britannian. Her eyes widened as she saw the red headband and curly locks. "Ohgi?"

* * *

' _What the hell is with today? Why,_ _ **why**_ _can't things just be easy for once?'_ The whole point of this festival was so _everyone_ could have a good time, but so far Kallen wasn't enjoying herself.

After recognizing Ohgi she'd made an excuse to leave by saying she felt feint. Everyone was terribly apologetic and wore guilty faces. _'Good.'_ She thought maliciously. "Um, if you still need someone to fill in I heard Lelouch didn't have much to do at the moment." She timidly told the girl at the entrance. She looked ecstatic to have the chance to dress up the much sought-after vice president and ran off to find him.

Kallen couldn't hold back an evil smile ' _Serves you right you bastard.'_ She then made her way to the back of the building to find Ohgi and the strange girl he was with. Hiding in one of the storage buildings she scrubbed at her face with a towel, that damn paint was _water resistant_ to make everything in her life that much better. That's when that pest Lelouch marched out from behind a crate barking at her to get them out of here. ' _Probably avoiding work in here, and he has the gall to snap at me?! But still, I can't let him see them for too long, it might create problems for me down the line.'_

And because it seemed life was literally out to get her today she heard Shirley's voice coming in, and she was accompanied by none other than the honorary Britannian Suzaku Kururugi.

Awesome.

She shoved her black knight coconspirator and the girl into a corner, not the best hiding spot, but it was all she had to work with.

She heard Shirley call out to her and spun to face them, taking a step forward. "Oh hello! What's up?" Her high pitch broke mid-sentence. _'Very casual_.' Kallen would be the first to admit that when not piloting her formidable Guren she wasn't very good under a panic. Too many aspects of her life were threatening to converge, and she was _freaking out!_

"Are there any spare fuel tanks in the back? Rivalz needs one for the pizza." She asked innocently, walking towards her.

"Uh, um maybe they're over on the other side?" She fumbled out with no other ideas.

"Oh ok." Suzaku said turning to go in the opposite direction. Shirley was just about to follow him when she heard Lelouch making some sort of fuss in the other corner.

Suddenly she turned to come back this way, calling out for him.

' _That's it, Lelouch is officially the most annoying Britannian on this planet. I wonder if Zero wants to take any student hostages in the future?'_

"Shirley, can't it wait?" He said walking towards her.

This is her chance! She glanced at the pallets strapped together beside them, quickly formulating a plan. She ever so slightly turned towards the two in the corner. "I'm going to create a diversion, use it to get away."

Shirley was griping at Lelouch and Kallen slid up next to the pallets fingering her pink pouch with her hidden blade. "AHHH! The panels are falling!" She screamed quickly slicing the straps and pushing them out of balance.

Shirley stared wide-eyed at the rocking pallets, unmoving. _'Oh_ _ **C'MON**_ _!' "_ Run away! Don't just stand there, watch out!" She yelled running towards the startled girl. She might be a little airheaded, but she was still a sweet girl and Kallen didn't want her hurt!

As she jumped to push Shirley out of the way there was a hydraulic 'hsss' and smoke filled the room. Kallen braced her shoulders for the impact, but it never came. As the smoke cleared a little she looked down at the shocked girls face.

"Um, I, thank you." Shirley stuttered out obviously embarrassed.

"I'm just glad you're ok." She looked around the room and saw the reason she wasn't crushed by the pallets was because both Suzaku and Lelouch had caught and held them up. She was pretty sure one was lifting more than the other. "But where did all this smoke come from?"

"It must be for detecting gas leaks. Looks like the main valve was knocked loose." Lelouch gritted out, arms trembling.

"Never mind that, can someone help me please?" Suzaku's voice quavered unexpectedly. "I'm in a little pain here."

Now that was surprising, she would have thought the pilot of Lancelot wouldn't break a sweat over something like this. "What's the matter?" She asked turning to look. She stopped dead and had to bite back her laughter at seeing Arthur's teeth firmly sunk into Suzaku's ankle.

"My ankle, it's a very familiar feeling."

"I can see that." She laughed quietly as she moved to extricate the tomcat from his favorite chew toy. She heard the knight give a groan of displeasure and she had to duck her head to hide her smile. Ok, maybe her day wasn't _that_ bad.

Shirley scuttled out from under the pallets finally and the boys lowered it gently to the floor. She couldn't help but notice Lelouch's hunched form and heavy breathing. Vice prez was obviously used to telling others what to do than doing the heavy lifting himself.

Kallen took Arthur in her arms and Suzaku tenderly touched his new wound on his ankle. "Oh Arthur, why do you do this?" He asked defeated.

She buried her face in the feline's fur, hiding her amusement. "He really doesn't like you."

He frowned at the cat in her arms. "I have no idea what I have ever done to them, but cats never seem to like me very much."

"Maybe you were a dog in your past life."

He laughed. "Yeah I guess that might be it." He stood up again and turned towards Shirley. "Hey you're ok right?" She nodded vigorously. "Alright, well we still need to get that fuel tank for the pizza. If we don't hurry we'll have to face the president."

"Scary thought, we should get on that." Lelouch remarked having regained some of his composure.

"Maybe there's some over here," He pointed where Kallen had been, but with all the commotion she was sure Ohgi and the girl had gotten away, so she didn't feel any apprehension anymore. "Here why don't you guys go look down there and Kallen and I can check this area." He offered turning to her expectantly.

"Um sure, but I told you I didn't see any before." She said faking timidity. _'What does he want now?'_

"Yeah but you might have missed something." He brushed off easily and walked past her.

Looking in the area she couldn't help but notice the dopey smile on his face. Annoyingly she wanted to know why he was smiling like that. She cast a glance over shoulder to make sure the others weren't in earshot. "What?" She whispered hotly.

He smiled wider and glanced back at her before looking around again. "Oh it's nothing. Just interesting to see your burst of strength back there. Surprising for a sickly girl who can't even participate in P.E. But maybe it was one of those weird adrenaline moments, considering one of your dear friends was in trouble."

She wanted to smack that smug tone right out of him, but she also wasn't going to tell him she's the reason Shirley almost got crushed. "Oh, drop it will you!"

He 'hmmed' in amusement. "You can play the loner schtick all you want, but you really care about these people. I just feel happy knowing I made the right choice to keep your secret. I _know_ there's a chance to convince you now."

"Not if I stab you first." She pursed her lips at her slip, but instead of showing offense he actually _laughed._

"I'll keep one eye open." He said lifting a canvas tarp. "Ah, here we are." He tossed the tarp aside and there was the clunky metal cylinder they needed. He hoisted it above his shoulder easily and turned towards her with that same dopey smile. "Well, like I said we better get this loaded up before the prez cooks up one too many crazy schemes for us slackers. Don't you think?"

She didn't give him an answer, simply fell into step with him. That didn't seem to bother him at all.

* * *

Rivalz voice boomed across the festival grounds, animatedly announcing the start of the main event. With all the film crews hanging around Kallen had preferred to volunteer for something more behind the scenes. She was holding the power chords to the Ganymede, making sure they stayed pugged in and unkinked.

Sayoko, Nunally's reserved caretaker was with her. As she wasn't the most talkative it was a bit hard to keep up a conversation. The start of the event gave her a breather from her awkward socializing attempts. Kallen listened to Rivalz energetically introduce the Ganymede and its pilot Suzaku. Suzaku made the antique flex and she couldn't hold back a laugh. It was a bit ridiculous seeing the stripped down thing mirror those 'tough guy poses.'

As Rivalz listed Suzaku's title an uproar of cheers came from the crowd. That was more than just their fellow student body. "Listen, is that because?"

Sayoko smiled and turned her head to peer at the crowd gathered around the stage. "Yes, there are lots of Elevens who came here today. It's an open festival after all and this is Suzakus school."

"So they came to see him?"

" Yes, Suzaku is like a ray of hope for many elevens, they revere him." She said simply, as if this should be obvious to Kallen.

"I see." She said looking up at the pilot. She turned to regard the sea of faces and she really could _see_ it. Those gleaming eyes, waving arms, excited cheers. All aimed towards Suzaku. She wondered if he was really noticing, or understanding that this excitement wasn't just about a giant pizza.

This was a far cry from the reception he'd first received upon arriving at the school. Kallen swallowed a heavy lump in her throat. Of course she had seen the graffiti on his locker, walked past him washing out his shirts in the campus courtyard.

She was always there for her people, and she had no tolerance for such shows of prejudice, but…he was an honorary Britannian, a soldier no less! He had sold out their people so that's why she couldn't help him. It would have been more of a betrayal if she _had_ intervened.

Despite her words a knot formed in her stomach and this time she did feel genuinely sick.

She gazed up at Suzaku again. Focusing on nothing more than making a pizza the president could brag about for the next year till trying to outdo it. Unaware of the hope being projected on him. While Zero was now the hope of many of her people she realized Suzaku had also grown to mean a lot to the Japanese. A sign that if you work hard enough, stay above it all when everyone is trying to drag you through the mud you _can_ become something in a world controlled by another group.

Instinctively she rejected this. It was gained through bowing down to their conquerors, signifying that this is what _all_ should do. That letting those in power trample over you and take whatever it is they desired was better than fighting for it _back._

Her expression hardened and she tightened her grip on the chords. She stared at him then, even more strong in her resolve. ' _I am not you, I will not sacrifice my dignity, my very being to fit the mold of the Britannian slave. I will fight for the lives and rights of those who have had_ _ **everything**_ _taken from them. I will restore the hope of my people, and lead them to the revolution."_ Naoto's face appeared in her mind, smiling as he always did for her, and despite the shaking of the power chords as the Ganymede finished the grand task she stood perfectly still, grounded with her strength and will.

* * *

"Ow!" She exclaimed jerking the pizza back from her mouth.

"Ya know you're supposed to wait a little, It did just come out of the stove." Suzaku chided gently, toting his own slice on a plate.

She rolled her eyes. "Thaaanks mom."

He laughed again as he was doing more and more frequently around her. Since when had she become so damn funny? "So, how'd everything look when I was up there?" He touched his hand to the back of his neck. "I'm not really used to being the center of so much attention. I hope I didn't embarrass myself."

She realized suddenly he was genuinely self-conscious of what people thought about his performance. It made sense considering the amount of criticism he received on a normal day to day basis. She scoffed and blew on her slice.

"Coming to me for reassurance. Probably not the best decision."

He turned towards her, smiling gently. "But I can trust you won't spare my feelings with pretty lies."

She scoffed again, a light heat reaching her cheeks. From the pepper flakes on the pizza she told herself. She finally took a bite and chewed thoughtfully for a few seconds. "It's good." She said around her mouth full.

From the brilliant smile that crept slowly onto his face you would think she'd just told him he was the most amazing man in the world. Thankfully he didn't say anything more. He bit into his own slice and they ate together in a comfortable silence.

* * *

A/N: Sooooo Kallen doesn't actually hate Lelouch he just really got on her nerves today haha.

I have been wondering about what all could have happened if this strange truce between Kallen and Suzaku at school had went on for longer than it did. Considering how short it really was….

Basically Euphie might or might not have been there, but she wasn't uncovered and didn't reveal her plans to everyone.

I really like these two as both characters and a tense dynamic of ideals. I know Lelouch and Suzaku opposed each other in the grand scheme, but I was always compelled by the opposition of Kallen and Suzaku as skilled fighters, different representations of the Japanese people, and very different fundamental beliefs.

There is so much untapped potential there and so this is why this is here. I hope you enjoy reading, and if you have a second it would mean a lot if you could leave a review, favorite or follow!

Thank you so much : )

I hope you have a lovely day!


	2. Chapter 2

The school festival had ended a few days ago, and the cleanup crew was wrapping up the take down of all the booths and installations. However, never count on Ashford academy to have a lapse in excitement, especially when you're in the student council run by the ever-charismatic Milly Ashford.

"C'mon people! Just because the festival was a success doesn't mean we get to sit around with our feet up!" Milly proclaimed slamming her hand down on the table.

They were all gathered in the student council room for their "Post success; idea extravaganza" meeting. Milly's title of course. Milly stood at the head of the table with Lelouch looking bored sitting to her left, and Shirley sitting a little closer than necessary next to him. Rivalz slumped on her right with Kallen on his right. Nina was at her computer like usual and Suzaku had annoyingly chosen the seat next to her.

"Ugh Prez," Rivalz groaned. The deep circles hung heavy under his eyes and he didn't look to be in the best of moods for one of Milly's energetic tirades. "That's easy for you to say, you didn't assign yourself to the clean up crew. I've been pulling six-hour shifts after school since the darn thing ended!" He complained while resting his face into his palm.

Milly brushed it off with a shrug and finger held up. "Tis the price paid for greatness." She opened her eyes and regarded them all with a passionate gaze. "But seriously guys we need to start cooking up some good ideas. I can't always be the brains of the operation!"

"Since when are you ever the brains?" Lelouch replied dryly.

Milly's face split into a deceptively sweet smile and she grabbed her vice president in an 'affectionate' headlock. Giving him a noogie she cheerfully chided him. "Well my dear Lelouch, I don't think people who like to abandon their posts should really be talking right now, agreed?"

"Yeah Lelouch!" Rivalz shouted finally sitting up. "You totally stiffed us on the day of _and_ skipped the cleanup crew. I was stuck with a bunch of lame ass freshman. I was the _smart one._ Think about that!"

They all exploded in laughter at that. Kallen smiled seeing their playful banter. At times it reminded her of their little group in the ghetto. Always throwing out goading taunts and teases. Insults were always lighthearted and fights never held any real resentment. But looking around the exquisite student council room shattered this comparison. Aside from her and Suzaku the people here never had to worry if this moment would be their last, torn apart by the realities of war. These kids got to be just that; kids.

She swallowed down the resentment in her throat, after all it's not like they were responsible for what their ancestors have done. ' _One day they'll be the ones suppressing your people.'_ She stood abruptly, and all eyes turned to her. "Please excuse me for a moment. I have to use the restroom." She said in her sweetest voice.

"Is everything alright Kallen? You're not feeling sick again are you?" Shirley asked, already half rising from her chair.

She shook her head at the girl's honest concern. "No, I'm doing good, thanks though." She headed to the nearest women's restroom and turned the gleaming handle of the faucet on. Cold water poured out and she held her hair back as she bent to take a sip. When she felt refreshed she stuck her hand under the stream. Resting her damp hand on the back of her neck she regarded herself in the mirror.

Why did she care so much about people who in all reality were likely to become just like their parents? Weren't many of them the children of the rich and powerful who profited off the Japanese people's suffering?

Then she thought about Shirley and the welcoming smile she had for everyone. Of Milly knowing about her lineage and accepting her anyways. Lelouch doting on his baby sister, who was probably the gentlest person on this planet. Suzaku's gleaming smile at seeing a bit of her real personality.

She slammed the faucet off, watching the water drain down the sink. If she was going to stay sane here she had to suspend some belief about what the future might hold. Here, now, these people were her friends, and that's what mattered.

She made her way back to the student council room a little more lighthearted. She could hear Milly's excited shouts from the hall and took a deep breath before opening the door. She better be prepared for their next "project."

When she opened the door all eyes swiveled to her, stopping her in her tracks. "Um, did I miss something?" She took in the expressions of her fellow student council members and noticed the gleam in Milly's eyes, Lelouch's attempt to hide his amusement, and Suzaku's gaze averting as soon as she met it.

Milly slipped her arm around her shoulders and smiled mischievously. "Wonderful news Kallen, we've decided to leave it up to you and Suzaku to come up with our next big project!"

Her eyes widened, and she couldn't help her loud exclaim "What?!" Getting her tone a little more under control she stared wide-eyed at Milly. "H-how did that get decided?"

"Oh, well you see, we were all talking about our contributions to previous school events when we realized our two newbies hadn't had a chance to spread your wings! Sooo it seems fitting that the next event idea should come from you guys!" She proclaimed proudly.

' _No, this can't be happening. Please, let this be a joke.'_

"Whelp," Milly rubbed imaginary dust off her hands and regarded everyone else. "These guys have a lot to do so we better head out. Meeting adjourned!"

"W-what? Wai-

"Thank god, I need a nap."

"Lulu do you want to study for the history test?"

"I took care of that last night, but I'm sure Nina can study with you."

"Oh, oh well yeah I suppose I can Shirley."

They all filed out of the room. Milly turned to her one last time and grinned. "And don't forget you two, I expect to be _dazzled_!" She sang poking Kallen's nose. With that she slipped out.

Kallen looked at the closed door. "Wait…" She exclaimed to the nearly empty room.

She heard a cough in the corner and whirled on her new 'partner.' "So, was this part of your plan to _sway_ me? I bet you suggested the whole thing!" She hissed.

He sighed. "No this isn't part of some plan, and Milly came up with the whole idea on her own."

"Oh, and I bet you protested _**so**_ much."

"I tried to say it might not be a good idea, but you know Milly. She was already congratulating herself on her new plan."

"No, no, no…" Kallen groaned dropping defeatedly into her chair.

"It…doesn't have to be so bad, does it? It might even be fun."

She sent him a death glare and he looked almost apologetic. "I promise no speeches about truth or justice."

She did give a laugh at that. After all, Suzaku made more speeches than a politician. She met Suzaku's hopeful eyes and took a deep, very deep, breath. At least she wasn't stuck with Lelouch, he'd probably bail and leave it all to her. Mr. Goody two shoes here would definitely pull his weight. But there was one more problem… "I have _no_ idea how to plan something like this."

Suzaku laughed. "Well I'm no expert either, but I'm sure we can think of something."

"Always have to be the optimist, don't you?"

"With all the excitement you exude someone has to be." He teased playfully.

She sighed one last time. Even she would get on her nerves eventually if she kept up the negativity. Might as well make the best of it, right?

"Well, let's get this over with then."

* * *

For the first step they grabbed some paper and pencils to write down their ideas. The next step was to _write_ said ideas. They hadn't gotten to the next step yet.

She twirled the pencil in her hand and glanced at her partner who was staring at the blank paper thoughtfully. "Well, do you have anything yet?"

He glanced at her before looking back at the paper. "Not a clue."

"How long has it been?"

He checked his wristwatch. "About ten minutes."

She inwardly groaned. "How does Milly _do_ this all the time?"

"She's partially insane."

"Mm, point there."

Suzaku stood up and walked around his chair.

"Hey, you better not be trying to bail on me."

"Not at all, I just thought that since neither of us are feeling particularly inspired it might do us some good to look at the previous events."

"Huh, that's not such a bad idea." She got up from the table as well and went to the bookshelf lined with colorful scrapbooks.

"Was there a compliment hiding in there?"

"Don't hold your breath soldier boy."

He smiled and took out one of the scrapbooks. As he flipped through the pages she leaned in to get a better look. She raised her brow at some of the more interesting pictures. "Wait, is that Rivalz, in a _dress_?"

He paused to examine the picture and made a face. "Well, I could have lived without having that image burned into my brain."

"That must have been the crossdressers ball Lelouch mentioned." She turned the page and snorted. "And this must be swimsuit day. Look at freshman Lelouch, he was so scrawny looking in those swim trunks."

"I don't know if it's much different from today though." Suzaku grinned. "He's never been the athletic type."

She furrowed her brow. "What do you mean?" She turned to him and suddenly realized they were very close. She quickly leaned away hoping he wouldn't notice. "Did you guys know each other before coming here?"

He looked away, probably chiding himself for letting that slip out. "I can't really tell you…"

She felt the annoyance bubbling up inside her. "So, you get to know all my secrets, but you can't tell me yours?"

His gaze hardened. "It's not mine to tell, and I'm sure I don't know all of yours." A look of pain shot across his face. He whispered. "Besides, you know more about my secrets than almost anyone."

The silence of the room settled on her shoulders, the only noise coming from the whirling of the ceiling fan and their breathing.

It was hard to keep her eyes on his, the usually kind gaze was swimming with a cold darkness. ' _Just like on the island.' "I killed my father."_

His words, said so casually over the dancing light of the fire, had crossed her mind more than she'd like to admit. Though Kallen tried to push her curiosity away she kept coming back to her desire to know more. Her frustration with Suzaku's ideals and life choices had initially made her hold a deep resentment for him. After all, here she was risking her life everyday to fight for her fallen country when the very son of the prime minister bowed his head in subjugation.

However, after being forced to work with him on the student council she couldn't say he didn't have a passion for his beliefs. While she was ostensibly opposed to his methods he did seem truly dedicated to bringing forth a peaceful existence for the Japanese people. Begrudgingly he'd earned some of her respect.

Then there was the whole ordeal with her discovering he was the pilot of the Lancelot. The knightmare that was always getting in the way of the black knights, an opponent she couldn't seem to defeat. Then it was the island, him learning her true identity, and his deal to let her stay at the academy. She just couldn't pin this guy down, and it was really starting to irritate her.

Huffing she looked away from him. "Forget it, not like I care about your guys' history anyways. Let's just keep working on finding ideas. I don't wanna be stuck here longer than necessary with you."

She grabbed another scrapbook from the shelf, and when he didn't reply for a few moments she glanced at him. "Uh, what is it?" He was giving her another one of those dopey smiles, all shadows disappearing from the bright green of his eyes.

He shook his head. "Nothing, just…thank you, Kallen."

She felt herself blushing at his earnest gratitude and focused intently on the book in her hands. "Yeah, yeah."

They sat in silence for ten or fifteen minutes, searching for something that might give them an idea for the next project. 'BZZ. BZZ. BZZ.'

She turned to her partner and saw him take out his phone from his jacket pocket. He read the caller ID and his countenance became serious. "Hello?"

She strained to hear any voices on the other line, but he was too far away.

"Yes, understood." Without a goodbye he closed his phone and returned it to his pocket. He closed the scrapbook and returned it to the shelf.

"Sorry Kallen, I've been called away on other military business." He must have noticed her eyes widen and quickly interjected with "And no it's not about the black knights or Zero. It's just something I have to go take care of right now."

She sighed, trying to hide the relief she felt. While he could be lying she doubted it, he would be too easy to read. "And here I was thinking you'd actually pull your own weight on the project."

"No! I still want to help, I just can't today. How about tomorrow?"

"Ugh. I guess I don't really have a choice, fine. Meet me in the library after school tomorrow then. And don't make me wait!"

"Wouldn't dream of it!" He replied already hurriedly packing up his things. He swung his bag onto his shoulder, turning to her briefly. "See you tomorrow then!" He dashed out of the room, leaving Kallen still sitting on the floor in the middle of scrapbooks and with no more of an idea on what they were going to do than when they started.

Sighing, Kallen threw back her head and stared at the pristine ceiling of the meeting room.

"Yeah, can't _wait_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope this chapter wasn't too boring, I just really like writing banter between them haha. If you have a minute I would love to hear your thoughts, thanks so much in advance!  
> I hope everyone has a great day!

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! While this may be the first thing I have posted on Ao3 this is actually a story that I started years ago, but then never continued with a follow up chapter. Obviously this has been a hard time for everyone so when I found that getting back to this story made me smile I decided to give it a try again. I know the Code Geass fandom seems pretty small on here, and this pairing is by no means popular, but I still want to share it with anyone that could be able to enjoy it. I hope you enjoyed this, and if you have a minute I would love to hear what you think! I kept the AN that I put on the original doc on fanfic for this chapter, but I will move it to this notes section on the next one. I just didn't want this to be too disjointed, and I did say things in that AN that might be good clarification for some.  
> I hope everyone has a wonderful day!


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